An Appeal to the White House

Editorial: An Appeal to the White House DDC | Madrid | 30 de Mayo de 2017 – 14:42 CEST.

Castroism’s plans for 2018 are clear: to officially sanction the transfer of power to the family’s heirs and double down on the kind of state capitalism that the Castros and the military elite already administrate.

This road map involves two farcical elections beginning in November 2017 – municipal and parliamentary ones. In the municipal elections several dozen independent candidates will try to run, for the first time, and after the second ones Raúl Castro might step down from the presidency of the country, which would mean that, for the first time in decades, and at least nominally, a Castro will no longer head up Cuba.

Both events will give rise to an unprecedented scenario and generate dynamics that are difficult to predict, even for the regime itself. The current spike in repression against any form of ??independence on the Island is linked to the authorities’ uncertainty, as they are made even more nervous by the volatile situation facing their Venezuelan ally Nicolás Maduro.

In this context, the White House has proposed withdrawing funds supporting democracy in Cuba. The issue is still to be debated in Congress, but its ultimate approval would have serious consequences for the Cuban democratic cause.

Totalitarian laws remain in place on the Island. In addition to repressing them, the regime condemns to social exclusion all those who oppose it. Attempts to legalize independent initiatives are continually rejected. Activists cannot work in the State sector, and are harassed if they try to undertake economic activity on their own. They are the victims of beatings, torture, abductions and arbitrary arrests, prevented from traveling, expelled from the universities, and their children are harassed at school. Retracting support would mean leaving them completely at the mercy of their repressors.

At a time when the Tourism and Agriculture sectors are seeking ways to access the Island’s market, abandoning support for those fighting for democracy in Cuba would be a boon for the elite that has ruined the country and denies the vast majority of its citizens any chance for freedom and prosperity. It is not only with investment in the economy that the Cuban issue may be resolved, but also in human rights and democratization.

US President Donald Trump stated on May 20: “The Cuban people deserve a government that peacefully defends democratic values, economic freedoms, religious freedoms and human rights. And my Administration is committed to achieving that vision.” In pursuit of these aims, the White House should reconsider its proposal to cancel aid for those who are now fighting for a democratic and diverse Cuba; a country that, among other things, would not constitute a source of conflict in the region.

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